Fastener



S. M. 'GORBETT.

FASTENER. APPLICATION FILED SEPT. 18, I920.

11 424,803. Patnt d Aug. 8, 1922.

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5. mc rmt airs 'SEWELL M. GORBETT, OFl-IONOLULU, TERRITORY OF HAWAII.

FASTENER.

Application filed September 18, 1920.

T 0 all whom it may concern.

Be it known that I. Snwrnn CORBE'HL, citizen of the United Edtates,residing Honolulu, in the county of Honolulu and Territory of Hawaii,have invented. certain new and useful Improvements in Fasteners of whichthe following is specification.

This invention relates to an improved fastener and has as one of itsprincipal objects to provide a device of this character adapted forgeneral use in securing tying strings, lacings, cords, ropes, or otherflexible elements.

The invention has as a further object to provide a fastener of suchconstruction that a string may be readily engaged therewith ordisengaged from the fastener while, at the same time, the fastener willoperate to securely grip the string.

Another important object of the invention is to provide a fastener whichwill hold a string without injury thereto.

And the invention has as still further object to provide a device whi hwill be characterized by structural simplicity and, in practical use,will not be liable to break or lose its efficiency.

Other and incidental objects will appear hereinafter.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a pers aective view showing my improved fastener inconjunction with an envelope,

Figure 2 is a perspective view showing the manner in which the blank ofthe fastener is bent to provide the finished device,

Figure 8 is a longitudinal sectional view taken through the fastener,

Figure 1 is a section at substantially right angles to Figure 3, and

Figure 5 is a detail plan view showing the blank from which the deviceis constructed.

In carrying the invention into effect, my improved device is preferablyformed from a single strip of suitable resilient sheet metal andincludes a base 10 widened toward its outer end and provided with spacednotches defining substantially V-shaped prongs 11 at the side edges ofthe base. Between these prongs projects a tail lug 12. Formed in thebase medially thereof are spaced longitudinal female ribs 13 and lyingbetween each of these ribs and the adjacent side edge of the base is anupstanding knob 14. At the inner end of the base, the strip of sheetmetal is bent forwardly to provide a longi- It I in specification ofLetters Patent.

. i atented Augfi, 1922.

Serial No. 411,204.

tudinally inclined back spring 15 diverging toward its free end awayfrom the base and, at the forward end of said spring, the sheet metalstrip is again bent rcarwardly to pro vide a longitudinally inclinedclamping tongue 16 cont erging inwardly toward the base. Formed from thetongue are spaced longitudinal male ribs 17 mating with the ribs 12 ofthe base and, as will be noted, the ribs 17 extend gradually into theribs 12 toward the inner end of said tongue. Consequently, a cord may bereadily engaged beneath the tongue at its outer end and pulled forwardlybetween the tongue and the base when the tongue will act to resilientlygrip the cord between the male and female ribs of the tongue and base. Asecure holo upon the cord will thus be had.

Attention is now directed to the fact that, as particularly shown in'-Figure 3 of the drawings, the bight or bend between the base and backspring is shaped to provide a channel shaped keeper 18 havingsubstantially parallel flat sides while the tongue 16 is formed at itsfreeend with a flat tip 19 engaging within the keeper. The tension ofthe back spring upon the tongue as well as the tension of the tongueitself will normally hold the tip thereof bearing against 1 the lowerside wall of the keeper sothat both tongue and back spring willindividually operate to bear-against a cord introduced between thetongue and the base. However, the presence of the-cord between thetongue and base will, of course, tend to flex the tongue upwardly, sothat, as will be seen, the tip 19 will coact with the upper side wall ofthe keeper 18 for portion of the tongue againstupward flexing. Thewedging action of' the cord between the tongue and base will thus becommunicated through the tongue to the back spring 15. The back springwill accordingly be caused to flex in conjunction with the local flexingof the tongue for accommodating the cord and, as the cord is advancedtoward the inner end of the base and the flexing of the tongue and backspring is increased, the grip upon the cord by the tongue will beincreased proportionately. This grip will be further enhanced, incidentto the forward movement of the cord between the tongue and base, due tothe fact that the male ribs 17 gradually extend into the female ribstoward the inner end of the tongue. A cord may, of course, be engagedbeneath the blank.

tongue from either one side or the other thereof and, as will be seen,the knobs 14 will tend to prevent accidental displacement of the freeend portion of the cord. In Figure 1, I have shown my improved fastenerin position upon a string envelope 20 of conventional design. As will beobserved, the base 10 of the fastener is seated flat against theenvelope and the prongs 11 engaged therethrough and bent forwardly forsecuring the fastener in place. Preferably, the prongs are bent up attheir free ends to provide spurs engaging through the envelope from thelower side thereof so as to prevent backward displacement of the prongsand, as will be seen, the base will prevent the fastenerv from rockingforwardly upon the prongs while the tail lug 12 will overcome anytendency of the fastener to rock backwardly. The string of the envelopeis indicated at 21 and, as will be seen, the flap of the envelope may beeasily and quickly secured in closed position by simply riding thestring beneath the clamping tongue 16 of the fastener.

In practice, the fastener is preferably formed from a blank of resilientsheet metal and in Figure f the drawing, I have shown the blank indetail. As will be ob served the blank is oblong in generalconfiguration, being widenedat one end portion thereof to define a baseportion A. This base portion is formed at its free end withsubstantially V-shaped notches lying near the side edges of the blank sothat said notchesdefine the spurs 11 as well as the intermediate taillug 12 of the fastener. Pressed downwardly from the base portion A arethe female ribs 13 of the base of the fastener while from said baseportion are punched up the knobs 14. Extending from the base portion Aat its smaller end is the back spring portion B of the blank andextending from said back spring portion is, in turn, the clamping tongueportion C of the Pressed downwardly from the clamping tongue portion Care the spaced male ribs 17 of the fastener. The blank thus formed isfirst bent along a transverse fold line as indicated at D for disposingthe portion 0 beneath the portion B when the blank is again bent alonganother transverse fold line as indicated at E to dispose the portion 0in coacting relation to the portion A. The prongs 11 may, if desired, bebent down at the time the fastener is applied. It will accordingly beseen that the fastener may be readily produced while, at the same time,the device will prove particularly effective in practical use.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

1. A device of the character described in cluding a base having anoverhanging forwardly bent back spring provided with a clamping tongueconfronting the base in 00 acting relation, the bend between the baseand back spring being formed to provide a substantially channel shapedkeeper receiv ing the free end portion of the tongue.

2. A fastener of the character described formed from a sheet metal blankbent to define a base having a back spring extending thereover and againbent to provide a clamping tongue extending from the back spring incoacting relation to the base and having its free end held in the bendbetween the base and back spring.

3. In a fastener, the combination of a basehaving an overhanging backportion pro vided with a clamping tongue extending in spaced relation tothe back portion to confront the base in coacting relation and con finedat its free end by the back portion whereby the tongue and back portionwill flex substantially in unison while the intermediate portion of thetongue will have limited individual movement with respect to the backportion. 7

1. In a fastener, the combination of a base having an overhanging backportion provided with a clamping tongue extending in spaced relation tothe back portion to confront the base in coacting relation, there beingmeans lying close to the free end of the tongue for supporting said endof the tongue whereby the tongue and back portion will flexsubstantially in unison while the intermediate portion of the tonguewill have limited individual movement with respect to the back portion.

In testimony whereof I afliX my signature SEWELL M. OORBETT. he

